A district court on Thursday turned down police's request for an arrest warrant against the driver of the deadly car accident in central Seoul late Monday that killed nine people and left seven injured.
Namdaemun Police Station investigating the car crash said Thursday that the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request to arrest the 68-year-old driver surnamed Cha, citing the low risk for the man not appearing for police questioning. It was also difficult to assert the necessity of the arrest, according to the court.
Observers believe the warrant was dismissed due to low flight risk as the driver is currently being hospitalized with broken ribs and is receiving personal protection services from the police.
Monday's accident took place at an intersection near Seoul City Hall at around 9:27 p.m. when a Genesis sedan plowed through a sidewalk guardrail and struck people waiting to cross the road. At the time of the incident, the vehicle was driving the wrong way on a one-way street. It collided with two cars after hitting the pedestrians.
Officials said the vehicle began speeding from a hotel entrance after exiting its underground parking lot through their initial analysis of an event data recorder. Police have also requested a thorough analysis of the car by the National Forensic Service, which will likely take at least one or two months.
Meanwhile, police were set to conduct their first questioning of the driver later in the day. Authorities plan to question the driver on his claim that the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration and how he drove on the wrong side of the road.
